A Nissan 240SX VIN is 17 characters. Positions 1–3 say who built it and where, 4–8 describe the body and engine, 9 is a check digit, 10 is the model year, 11 is the plant, and 12–17 are the serial number. Decode a 240SX VIN here and you also get its 4 recall campaigns and 133 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — free.
How to read a Nissan 240SX VIN
Here is a real 1995 Nissan 240SX VIN from our database, split into its parts:
VIN JN1AS44D7SW018579 — decoded free on its own report page.
| Position | Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | WMI | World Manufacturer Identifier — country, manufacturer and vehicle type. |
| 4–8 | VDS | Vehicle Descriptor Section — body style, engine, restraint system, series. |
| 9 | Check digit | A calculated digit that validates the whole VIN. Wrong digit = wrong VIN. |
| 10 | Model year | One character for the model year. Letters skip I, O, Q, U and Z. |
| 11 | Plant | The assembly plant that built the car. |
| 12–17 | Serial | Sequential production number of this exact vehicle. |
Nissan 240SX VIN prefixes, and when each one was used
Characters 1–3 are not fixed for the life of a model. The Nissan 240SX ran through 2 different prefixes across 6 years — a 240SX built in 1989 opens with JN1, one from 1994 with JN3, and a chart that assumes 240SX always starts the same way will hand you the wrong car:
| VIN starts with | Years seen | Built in | Vehicle type | VINs on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JN1 | 1989–1998 | Japan | Passenger Car | |
| JN3 | 1992–1994 | Japan | Incomplete Vehicle |
Position 11 names the plant. On the Nissan 240SX it is not one number either — assembly moved between 2 of them over the years:
| Plant code | Years active | VINs on record | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | 1989–1998 | 130 | |
| C | 1992–1997 | 3 |
Counted from the 131 dated Nissan 240SX VINs attached to NHTSA complaints — the largest such set for this model — with every code checked against the NHTSA manufacturer registry, so mistyped entries are dropped; the figures say how many records carry each code, not how many 240SXs left the line.
Model-year codes for the Nissan 240SX
Position 10 carries the model year, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z. The alphabet comes round every 30 years, which the Nissan 240SX has not yet outlived — its 13 years still map one-to-one. All 13 model years of the Nissan 240SX, 1989 to 2001, with the character each one carries:
| Model year | VIN character (position 10) | Same character as |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | — |
| 2000 | Y | — |
| 1999 | X | — |
| 1998 | W | — |
| 1997 | V | — |
| 1996 | T | — |
| 1995 | S | — |
| 1994 | R | — |
| 1993 | P | — |
| 1992 | N | — |
| 1991 | M | — |
| 1990 | L | — |
| 1989 | K | — |
When two years share a character, the check digit and serial range tell them apart — that is what the decoder does automatically.
Body and engine characters we see on Nissan 240SX VINs
Positions 4 through 8 describe the build, and manufacturers assign them themselves — the same letter means different things on different marques. Across 2 VINs the Nissan 240SX uses 5 different characters in these three slots alone — the ones below, ordered by how much of the Nissan fleet each covers:
| Position | Characters seen on real VINs | Variety |
|---|---|---|
| 4 — body | A (50%) · H (50%) | 2 distinct |
| 5 — series | S (100%) | 1 distinct |
| 8 — engine | D (50%) · P (50%) | 2 distinct |
A character that dominates the column usually marks the body style the model was mostly sold in; a spread across several means multiple bodies or engines shared the same platform.
What a decoded Nissan 240SX VIN gets you
Reading the characters is the easy part — the reason to decode a VIN is what sits behind it. For the Nissan 240SX that is 133 owner complaints and every recall campaign NHTSA has on record, keyed to the same VIN you just read:
| Data | For this model | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recall campaigns | 4 campaigns | NHTSA |
| Owner complaints | 133 filed | NHTSA |
| Fuel economy | 21 mpg combined (avg) | EPA |
| Model years covered | 13 years | ForCar catalog |
Where to find the VIN on a Nissan 240SX
A Nissan 240SX VIN normally opens with JN1. Four places on the car carry the full number, and all four must agree — on a Nissan 240SX, a plate that disagrees is where fraud shows itself first.
| Where | How to see it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard, driver side | Through the windshield, bottom corner | Easiest to check before you touch anything |
| Driver door jamb | Open the door, sticker on the pillar | Also lists tyre pressures and build date |
| Under the hood | Firewall or strut tower plate | Survives a windshield replacement |
| Title and insurance | Paper documents | Must match the car — a mismatch means fraud or a swapped panel |
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- Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
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Frequently asked questions
Is this Nissan 240SX VIN decoder free?
Yes — decoding a Nissan 240SX VIN costs nothing and needs no account. Beyond the year, plant and build characters you also get what NHTSA holds on the Nissan 240SX — 4 recall campaigns and 133 owner complaints — at no charge.
Why does my 240SX VIN start differently from another 240SX?
Because the prefix changed during the model's run. Across the Nissan 240SX VINs on record we see 2 of them: JN1 (1989–1998), JN3 (1992–1994). A 1989 car opens with JN1, a 1994 one with JN3, and both are genuine. A decoder that assumes a single prefix for the whole model is where the wrong answers come from.
How many characters is a Nissan 240SX VIN?
Seventeen, on every Nissan 240SX built from 1981 onwards, when the 17-character format became mandatory in the US. The oldest Nissan 240SX VIN on file here is a 1989, so everything in our Nissan data already uses the modern layout.
Why do two Nissan 240SX model years share the same VIN character?
Position 10 cycles through the alphabet every 30 years, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z. A 1995 and a 2025 car can carry the same letter. The check digit and serial range separate them.
Can a Nissan 240SX VIN tell me if the car was in an accident?
Not from the characters themselves — they describe how the Nissan 240SX left the factory, not what happened to it afterwards. Crash and title records sit in separate databases keyed to the same number. What is public are the 133 complaints Nissan 240SX owners filed with NHTSA, and those we do show. Run the number through our VIN check to see what is on the record for it.
Do the body and engine characters mean the same thing on every Nissan?
No, and that is the usual mistake — positions 4–8 are assigned per model, not per brand. A letter that means one body on the Nissan 240SX can mean a different one on another Nissan, and something else again on another marque. On Nissan 240SX VINs the character that dominates position 4 is A — read it against the table above, not against a generic chart.
What if the VIN on the dashboard doesn't match the door jamb?
Treat it as a red flag on any car, and on a Nissan 240SX check the prefix first: for the model year in question it should open with JN1 or JN3, depending on when the car was built — anything outside that set did not come off a Nissan 240SX. Beyond that, mismatched plates mean either a replaced panel or a tampered identity — ask for documents and verify before any money changes hands.
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